XX 2017
Released this year, XX is a horror anthology created entirely by women - each short was written and directed by females and each short follows one woman's journey touching on motherhood, being a wife, and being the odd one out. This movie is a milestone and something I think we should all be proud of for having out in the world. Quite frankly, there's a lot of anthologies out there and XX is a lot better than most of the male-dominated ones. I really hope they re-visit this and do another highlighting more women directors and writers.
The Box:
Written and directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, this short is based on the shorty story by Jack Ketchum. A family is riding the subway when the young boy asks a stranger next to him what's in the present sitting on his lap. It's a red box with a bow on top. The stranger shows him and from that point on the young boy refuses to eat and starts wasting away. When asked what was in the box, he responds nothing. It soon starts to spread to the rest of the family as they slowly starve to death.
The vibe of this short is incredible - it builds this sense of dread that sits with you long after it's finished. I'm seeing a lot of people not loving the pay off at the end, but I didn't mind it. I like that whole leaving it up to your imagination situation. It reminded me quite a bit of the ending to the original Martyrs.
There was one particular sequence which was a dream moment where I actually audibly gasped because it was so shocking and outside of what the short was doing. It was really great.
8/10
The Birthday Party:
This one was my personal favorite - written by Roxanne Benjamin and Annie Clark, and directed by Annie Clark. It is one morning in the life of Mary, a wealthy suburban mom who has a seemingly perfect life - money, nice house, one beautiful little girl, and a Nanny. But as the short continues on you realize this woman has many anxiety issues and is having trouble coping. Something happens to her husband, but she has a birthday party for her daughter happening so she is forced to cope with the more and more bizarre situations that are arising.
I would love to see this one somehow developed into a full movie because there were so many paths that could've been followed - I was so curious about the Nanny, and the husband, and the strange neighbors. I also loved the coloring of this short. Really well done. Also the reveal at the end of the full title is really hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud a few times in this short - very dark humor.
10/10
Don't Fall:
This was my least favorite - it was by no means awful, or badly done, it just wasn't for me and almost felt a little out of place compared to the other three. Written and directed by Roxanne Benjamin it follows four friends who have found a camp spot in the middle of the desert. They found the spot after bribing a guy at the nearest gas station. When hiking they find a beautiful lookout and on the wall are some sort of creepy cave drawings. That night, back at camp, everything quickly falls apart and we come to realize what those cave drawings were warning us of.
The characters were really fun, I liked all of them immediately. They had some great dynamics and it all felt really natural. The scenery was beautiful, the effects were great, and it felt very wrapped up - beginning, middle, and satisfying end. And honestly, if this short had been in another anthology I think I would've really enjoyed it. But again, compared to the other three, the tone of this didn't fit for me personally.
7/10
Her Only Living Son:
Written and directed by Karyn Kusama, who previously brought us The Invitation, this short plays like a love letter to Rosemary's Baby. A mom is struggling with her teenage son who's acting out in more and more horrific ways. He's about to turn 18 and his Dad is out of the picture. But as the short unravels we start to realize his Dad is not who we think it is, and this young man is going through way more changes than just puberty.
It's a really creepy piece that ends in a shocking, yet satisfying way. There's many things at play here including white male privilege when the Mother is confronted about his actions in the school, and obviously the exploration of coming of age and single motherhood.
Screencrush.com called it Rosemary's Baby fan-fiction and I kind of like that - it's very much a follow up to the book/film and what happens after that final scene when Rosemary is confronted with what she produced.
Although side note - in 1997 Ira Levin put out the sequel to his original, Rosemary's Baby, called Son of Rosemary. While it's nowhere near as amazing as the original, the sequel is a kind of fun, crazy thrill ride - very quick read. Go pick it up!
9/10
In between each short is the connective tissue provided by stop-motion artist Sofia Carrillo who brought some incredibly disturbing and heart breaking images to life. And quite frankly the stop-motion doll parts moving around is the creepiest part of this anthology. She really did an incredible job.
Overall I'm giving XX a solid 9/10, I'll definitely re-visit and recommend, and some of these shorts will stick with me for a long time.
Stay Spooky!
.....and....WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!!!!!!!?!
(I couldn't resist)
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